Douma's cheerful greeting was answered by Akaza's fist.
The blow ca with no warning.
One mont, Upper Rank Two was smiling as if he had arrived at a pleasant reunion. The next, his head burst apart beneath Akaza's backhand, blood and fragnts scattering through the impossible air of the Infinity Castle.
Akaza's eyes burned with barely restrained fury.
"Get lost."
His voice was low, but the killing intent behind it rolled outward like a storm.
The defeat had pushed him to the edge. His pride, his body, his very existence as Upper Rank Three had been carved open by that Demon Slayer's sword. Right now, all he wanted was to tear that monster apart with his own hands.
Unfortunately, Douma was not the kind of creature who understood when to stop talking.
His ruined head regenerated in a breath.
The sa easy smile returned to his face, untouched and shaless.
"That was a wonderful punch."
Akaza's forehead pulsed with veins.
For one brief mont, he looked ready to destroy Douma again, and perhaps continue doing so until the Infinity Castle itself collapsed from irritation. But reason won by a thread. He clenched his fist and turned away.
On a nearby staircase, Daki watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.
Her long black hair flowed behind her, and a cherry-pink obi sash was tied at her back. Beautiful, arrogant, and visibly displeased, she leaned toward the hunched figure crouching beside her.
"Brother," she whispered, "why has Lord Muzan summoned us again?"
Gyutaro scratched at himself, his gaze sweeping across the warped space.
"Probably to talk about killing that Demon Slayer again."
Even he sounded uncertain.
They had only recently been summoned for that very reason. To call every Upper Rank back so soon ant sothing had changed.
Then Gyutaro noticed it.
Two figures were missing.
Before he could think further, a steady voice echoed through the castle.
"Lord Muzan has arrived."
The Infinity Castle shifted.
Rooms slid apart. Stairways folded into nothing. Platforms rose and sank as the sound of a biwa rang out, each note twisting the space into a new shape.
In the next instant, Muzan Kibutsuji appeared before Akaza.
The air beca heavier.
Muzan's expression was calm, almost unreadable, but beneath that calm lay a rage so deep it seed to stain the entire castle.
His gaze fell on Akaza.
"Hantengu is dead."
No one spoke.
Muzan continued, his voice smooth and dreadful.
"The Upper Ranks are incomplete. Worse, there is no demon suitable to fill his place."
Only then did several of the Upper Ranks visibly react.
Hantengu was dead.
Upper Rank Four had fallen.
Muzan slowly turned his eyes back to Akaza.
Akaza imdiately dropped to one knee.
The next instant, Muzan's aura crashed down.
Akaza's body split open as countless wounds tore across his flesh. Blood poured down his skin, and he coughed violently, his strength dipping for a brief mont under the weight of Muzan's punishnt.
The other Upper Ranks watched in silence.
Muzan's voice sharpened.
"A few days ago, Akaza and Hantengu encountered that Demon Slayer."
His eyes narrowed.
"And you lost."
Akaza lowered his head further.
"You failed my expectations. Hantengu died, and you, Akaza, chose to flee."
The words were quiet.
That made them worse.
Even Kokushibo, hidden within the shadows of the castle, seed to pause.
The image of that Demon Slayer surfaced in his mind. That face. That presence. That sword.
Was he truly connected to Yoriichi?
Below, Douma opened his fan with a pleasant smile.
"I have never failed your expectations, Lord Muzan. I can kill that boy with my own hands."
"I do not need useless chatter."
Muzan's reply cut him off at once.
Douma's smile did not change, but he said no more.
Muzan looked over the assembled demons.
"Gather the Upper Ranks. Kill that Demon Slayer completely."
His gaze shifted toward the biwa woman seated within the castle.
"Naki will take Hantengu's place as Upper Rank Four. She will gather intelligence. From this mont on, all Upper Ranks will remain on standby."
That was his decision.
If the Upper Ranks could kill that boy, then everything would still be within his control.
If they failed, Muzan would hide himself deep within the Infinity Castle and wait.
Humans aged.
Humans weakened.
Humans died.
No matter how monstrous that Demon Slayer beca, ti itself would eventually devour him.
Just as Muzan was about to end the eting, Gyokko rose from his patterned pot.
The mouth on the left side of his face licked over sharp teeth, while the other mouth spoke with eager flattery.
"Lord Muzan, I have obtained information that will surely be of use to you."
Muzan turned his head.
His gaze alone made the air freeze.
"Do not rush to with unverified information in search of praise."
Gyokko instantly stiffened.
Muzan's voice remained low.
"If the information is true, the Upper Ranks will move together."
The final note of the biwa rang out.
The eting ended.
At the sa ti, in Yoshiwara, Tanjirou and the others had returned to Ogimoto House.
They moved through the bustling corridors, keeping their presence as restrained as possible, and entered a private room. Once the sliding door closed behind them, the noise outside beca muffled, leaving only the faint sound of music and footsteps beyond the walls.
Sanemi stood near the center of the room, arms folded.
His gaze went straight to Tanjirou.
"Did you find the demon's main body?"
Tanjirou sat down and nodded.
"We found its lair. It's at Kyogoku House on another street. But the demon itself wasn't there."
Zenitsu, who had been rubbing the bump on his head ever since earlier, imdiately turned toward Sanemi with suspicion.
"And what about you? Did you find the underground entrance, or were you just enjoying yourselves with the girls while we were gone, you bastard?"
Sanemi's fist sank into his stomach.
"Guh!"
Zenitsu folded on the spot and collapsed face-first onto the floor.
Sanemi withdrew his hand and clicked his tongue.
"What an annoying brat."
Tanjirou stared down at Zenitsu, troubled. "Mr. Sanemi..."
"He'll live."
Sanemi looked back at him.
"We didn't find anything useful. Ask Asuramaru if he can locate the entrance."
Tanjirou hesitated.
He always felt guilty relying on Asuramaru for everything, but there were people trapped beneath them. This was no ti for pride.
"Asuramaru..."
Before he could finish, Asuramaru's irritated voice cut in from within the sword.
"You can't handle even this much? The entrance is under the floorboards in the corridor you just passed through."
Tanjirou brightened slightly.
Then Asuramaru added, "And one more thing. This demon should also be an Upper Rank."
The room fell quiet after Tanjirou relayed the ssage.
Upper Rank.
Even after Hantengu's death, even after Akaza's retreat, that title still carried enough weight to change the air.
Sanemi's expression sharpened.
"Show the place."
The group returned to the corridor. With Asuramaru's guidance, they confird the section of flooring that concealed the entrance.
But they did not tear it open imdiately.
Instead, they withdrew to the private room again.
If they acted carelessly, the demon might notice.
Tanjirou spoke first.
"This district is crowded. If a fight breaks out here, too many people will be caught in it."
Sanemi gave a fierce grin.
"So we lure it out and kill it sowhere else."
Tanjirou nodded.
"It won't be easy."
"No," Sanemi said. "But with here, it's possible."
Then his eyes shifted.
They landed on Zenitsu, still unconscious on the floor.
Tanjirou followed his gaze.
Inosuke tilted his boar mask.
A strange silence filled the room.
Deep down, everyone reached the sa conclusion at nearly the sa ti.
Zenitsu was probably the best bait.
Sanemi made the decision without a shred of hesitation.
"Settled. I'll go underground and kill the demon's clones. This brat will act as bait and draw out the Upper Rank. Tanjirou, you hold it off until I finish below. Once the underground is cleared, I'll co imdiately."
Tanjirou looked at Zenitsu with a complicated expression.
Zenitsu slept on, blissfully unaware that his future had just been decided by democracy, with zero votes from himself.
Inosuke crossed his arms.
"Good. The yellow one is loud enough to attract anything."
Tanjirou sighed.
The plan was set.
That night, they remained in Ogimoto House, resting as much as the situation allowed.
By morning, Tanjirou went once more to Kyogoku House to confirm the demon's movents.
The demon still had not returned.
All they could do was wait.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
User Comments
0 comments from readers